Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) Short Interest Up 21.0% in January

Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 539,088 shares, an increase of 21.0% from the January 15th total of 445,472 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 465,653 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 465,653 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days.

Institutional Trading of Banco Santander Chile

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Simplex Trading LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Santander Chile during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Banco Santander Chile during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Banco Santander Chile by 739.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,486 shares of the bank’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,309 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Banco Santander Chile by 199.8% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,007 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Banco Santander Chile by 577.8% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,559 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,329 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 6.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BSAC has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Banco Santander Chile from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup cut Banco Santander Chile from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Banco Santander Chile in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut Banco Santander Chile from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Banco Santander Chile from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Banco Santander Chile currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $27.67.

Banco Santander Chile Price Performance

BSAC traded down $0.57 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $35.08. 151,544 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 343,837. Banco Santander Chile has a 52 week low of $20.77 and a 52 week high of $37.72. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $33.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.51.

Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The bank reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $740.07 million for the quarter. Banco Santander Chile had a net margin of 24.57% and a return on equity of 23.25%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Banco Santander Chile will post 2.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Banco Santander Chile

Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) is one of the leading financial institutions in Chile and a key component of the global Santander Group. The bank offers a comprehensive range of banking and financial services, including retail and commercial lending, deposit accounts, credit cards, wealth management, insurance products and corporate banking solutions. Headquartered in Santiago, it operates an extensive network of branches, ATMs and digital platforms to serve individual customers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations across the country.

Originally founded as Banco de Santiago in the late 1970s, the institution became part of the Santander Group following the privatization wave in Chile during the late 1980s.